Joan Mir has marked his MotoGP comeback with a place in Q2 at the Malaysian Grand Prix. The Honda HRC rider set the 10th-fastest time in Practice at Sepang, which secured a direct route to the second qualifying phase the following day. Should Luca Marini, Diogo Moreira and Johann Zarco all fail to come through Q1, Mir will be Honda’s sole rider in Q2.

The result stands out because Mir had missed the previous four Grands Prix while dealing with illness. The 2020 MotoGP world champion had not ridden a bike in the class since the San Marino Grand Prix in September. He described the Q2 place as unexpected and as a reward for the work involved in rebuilding himself during the recovery period.

The race will test his conditioning

Energy and vision problems forced Mir to stop training altogether for three to four weeks, costing him some physical conditioning. He said the final week and a half before arriving at Sepang allowed him to train at 100 per cent, and he felt physically well during Practice. His track time was still limited to a maximum of three runs, with five laps in each. The break from racing has left him feeling mentally fresher, but he will only know his physical readiness over the full race the following day.